Whether you do it to be more productive in the morning or to make your bed more appealing after you return from a full day of work, making your bed can feel like a ritual.

However, a doctor has issued a warning to those who like their beds tightly made.

This simple practice could be creating a breeding ground for all sorts of tiny critters.

So if you don’t feel like sharing your crisp sheets with anyone, Dr Kunal Sood shared “you might want to stop” this habit.

Speaking on his TikTok channel, he said: “It could be increasing the chance that you’re sharing a bed with dust mites, bacteria and fungi.”

In case you aren’t aware, dust mites are minuscule pests attracted to dead skin cells in the bedding and are likely to appear in bedrooms with high humidity levels.

Dr Sood explained that dust mites thrive in dark damp spaces.

He said: “When we sleep, most of us sweat and when you make your bed first thing in the morning, you’re locking in this moisture within the sheets.”

While you can’t see the critters without using a microscope, their presence can be known if you’re suffering from the following symptoms.

Rebecca Swain of Winstons Beds revealed the most common warning signs of dust mites that you’re probably ignoring include:

• Dry cough
• Itchy skin
• Sneezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Red and itchy eyes
• Disrupted sleep.

Dr Sood added that the tiny pests could also be making your allergies and asthma worse.

Fortunately, putting all the bedding on a hot wash (60C) and dusting the entire bedroom thoroughly could help reduce the chances of dust mites being able to spawn, according to Swain.

If you want to keep making your bed, Dr Sood recommended waiting one hour and opening your blinds after you wake up. “This will allow that moisture to dry up, allowing you to make your bed and decreasing the risk of dust mites,” he added.